Ouija “Riding Into The Funeral Paths”

Repulse Records

6/10

Probably you’ve never heard of this brand new band, but it’s a new outfit worth listening to. Being born out of the ashes of Levial, after a promo they recorded in 1997 to be released as a mini CD through a small label that finally never edited it, they signed to well-working Spanish label Repulse Records for the release of this full-length album “Riding Into The Funeral Paths”.

Since its first song, the outbreaking “When The Sun Shall Die” till the bizarre finishing “Holocaust In Heaven”, Ouija drags us through their world of darkness, forests creatures, occult rites and fantasy by their Swedish-styled Black Metal. Their sound is quite similar to Dissection’s; guitars go agile yet not very fast, vocals are blacky and melodyc and though drums sound a bit soft (too soft in my ears), the feeling and atmosphere they create is quite dark and cold, in the typical nordic way. Spoken parts performed behind the guitar-based melodies, military drums rhythms and some other rrangements help to be drown in their world of hate towards the light.

I cannot end this review not speaking about this album’s real jewel, “Unbridled Transylvanian Passion”, a real killer song that would perfectly be able to appear in “Storm of the ligth’s bane”. Other remarkable songs are “Before A Possible Relapse” and “Crossing The Seventh Gate”. Defintely an unexpectedly good surprise.